The Man, the Horse, the Ox, and the Dog

The Man, the Horse, the Ox, and the Dog

A HORSE, Ox, and Dog, driven to great straits by the cold, sought

shelter and protection from Man. He received them kindly, lighted a

fire, and warmed them. He let the Horse make free with his oats, gave

the Ox an abundance of hay, and fed the Dog with meat from his own

table. Grateful for these favours, the animals determined to repay him

to the best of their ability. For this purpose, they divided the term

of his life between them, and each endowed one portion of it with the

qualities which chiefly characterized himself. The Horse chose his

earliest years and gave them his own attributes: hence every man is in

his youth impetuous, headstrong, and obstinate in maintaining his own

opinion. The Ox took under his patronage the next term of life, and

therefore man in his middle age is fond of work, devoted to labor, and

resolute to amass wealth and to husband his resources. The end of life

was reserved for the Dog, wherefore the old man is often snappish,

irritable, hard to please, and selfish, tolerant only of his own

household, but averse to strangers and to all who do not administer to

his comfort or to his necessities.